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Making it to the national squad for the World Cup is struggle enough for most footballers. They need to have a lot of things going for them. And when a player finally makes it to the squad after proving that he's a worth his salt, he'll realise that his journey has only started.
Showing up for the big occasion and catering to it are two entirely different things. While the pressure of the grandest stage of football could prove to be too much to deal with for several players, several others step up to the plate and deliver in grand fashion.
Scoring a goal in a World Cup would be something that a footballer will take to his grave. Watching someone score a peach would be something that the fans will take to theirs. We have seen some absolutely wonderful goals being scored in the World Cup and here, we take a look at 3 top goals that have slipped under the radar.
Starting with...
#3 David Platt (England) vs Belgium- 1990 World Cup
England and Belgium were battling it out in the Round of 16 in the 1990 World Cup held in Italy. The game looked set to remain deadlocked at the end of extra time and the shadow of a penalty shootout was looming large.
With just about a minute remaining on the clock, England won a freekick halfway inside their attacking half. It was too far away from goal to go for it directly. Paul Gascoigne was on set-piece duty.
Gazza floated a ball into the box and David Platt backpedalled in anticipation, swivelled and buried a volley into the far corner. England got through to the quarters by the skin of their teeth and it was an iconic David Platt goal that led them there.
Platt wheeled away in celebration and near the touchline, Bobby Robson let himself a bit loose and exploded into a dance in utter joy. And so did all of England, I would imagine.
#2 Manuel Negrete (Mexico) vs Bulgaria - 1986 World Cup
Mexico made it to the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup before being eliminated by eventual winners West Germany. And on their way to the last 8, they did play some exciting football. But nothing beats this singular moment of outrageous audacity from Manuel Negrete.
The Mexicans, the hosts for the tournament, were trying to get the better of their Eastern European opponents under the sweltering heat. Following some scrappy passing and timely interceptions, Negrete gets a lobbed ball which is not easy to control, right outside the box. He brings it down elegantly and then slides it across to his teammate before racing into the area.
As the ball is lobbed back into his path, he adjusts his body and meets it almost 5 foot off the ground with an outrageous volley that ends up resting in the far corner. It was an iconic moment and is certainly one that anyone who witnessed it will never forget.
#1 Pele (Brazil) vs Sweden - 1958 World Cup
The pitch was soaked. Footballers were not supposed to have a great day. But then again Pele was not your everyday footballer, was he? The then young genius scored one of the greatest World Cup goals ever in Brazil's humbling of Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final.
Sweden were the hosts of the tournament and they'd have fancied their chances against the Brazilians. But they were only going to get introduced to the magic of the ginga.
Pele chests down a cross inside the box as neatly as any forward would like and then goes ahead and dinks the ball over the approaching centreback, thereby robbing him of dignity before thumping it into the bottom corner to round off a spectacle.
The great player himself has had his say on the goal,
“When I passed to Didi, I made as if I was going to run forward but turned back instead. That confused the defender a little and he let the ball come through to me. When I controlled it on my chest he thought I was going to shoot. I got my foot on it and flicked it over his head, which was something the Europeans weren’t used to. They always tried to close you down because they were used to people shooting straightaway. I hit the ball before it touched the ground and in it went. It was one of the most beautiful goals of my career.”
It still remains one of the most underrated goals to have been scored in a World Cup. It happened in the final, for crying out loud.
If you feel like we've missed out on any spectacular goals, please let us know in the comments section.
